


promise

by cuubism



Series: whumptober [3]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Angst, Banter, Canon-Typical Violence, Fluff, Head Injury, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Immortal Husbands Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, M/M, Major Character Injury, Mild Sexual Content, Post-Canon, Tenderness, bad sexual innuendos, malec being just incredibly married, wound reveal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:09:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27276205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cuubism/pseuds/cuubism
Summary: After a tough battle, Alec’s worried about Magnus’s magic depletion -- but they’re both fine, right?whumptober day 30 - wound reveal
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Series: whumptober [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1949743
Comments: 30
Kudos: 173
Collections: Hunter's Moon Fic Recs





	promise

“Magnus!” Alec yelled. “Magnus! Do it now!”

Magnus looked over to him. Alec was moving almost faster than Magnus could see, sending arrow after arrow after arrow into the hordes of demons streaming from the apartment building before them.

“Are you sure it’s clear?” Magnus yelled back. They had done their best to evacuate the mundanes inside, glamouring the demon invasion as a fire, but he couldn’t be sure—

“It’s clear! Do it now—” Alec cut off with a yelp as the demons swarmed him and he disappeared in the writhing mass of bodies.

Magnus moved instinctively towards him, needing to help, but stopped himself. The best way he could help was by closing the rift.

He summoned his magic from the depths of his core and blasted the building with a stream of blue fire. He could feel the moment the rift sealed, a rippling in the air that heralded a sudden drop in demonic energy.

Magnus kept up his attack, purging the building of all demonic traces until it was charred from the inside out, looking like it really had been ravaged by a devastating fire. He leaned down on his knees when he was done, breathing hard.

Movement appeared in his peripheral vision, and then Alec was beside him. “Hey,” he said, “you okay?”

Magnus dragged himself back upright to look at him. Alec was covered head-to-toe in ichor, but seemed mostly unharmed, the heavy material of his gear only torn here and there with shallow claw marks. One long cut ran down his temple, dripping blood onto his neck. Magnus raised a hand to heal it.

“No, don’t.” Alec caught his wrist. “I got it.” He pulled out his stele and drew an _iratze_ on his forearm. Magnus watched as the various cuts knit themselves back together.

“You used a ton of magic,” Alec said. “Are you feeling okay?”

“Peachy,” Magnus said, and Alec rolled his eyes.

“I’m _serious._ ”

“I’m alright,” Magnus told him, softer, “I think I’m all out, though.” He tried to spark a flame in his palm, but his magic was unresponsive inside him, dormant and recovering.

“No dinner date in Tokyo, then,” Alec sighed.

Magnus whacked him on the arm, and he giggled. Actually _giggled_ in the middle of an ichor-strewn battlefield.

“I’m sorry your transportation service is out of commission, Alexander.”

“Well, you win some you lose some,” Alec said. Then he leaned down to kiss Magnus’s forehead, cupping his face in both hands. “I’m glad you’re okay. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yes, dear.”

Alec ducked closer to peer into Magnus’s eyes, trying to pry open his eyelids. “You’re _sure_?”

Magnus swatted his hands away, though not too far—just far enough that he wasn’t literally poking Magnus in the eye. “Quit _manhandling_ me. What are you even looking for?”

“Anomalies,” Alec said cryptically.

“Well, can you look for them at home? My bed is calling my name. You can manhandle me as much as you want there.”

“Oh, really?”

Alec grinned at him, and Magnus planted his face in his hands. _“What_ am I supposed to do with you? You’ve become a fiend.”

“A fiend of your own making,” Alec agreed cheerfully, wrapping an arm around Magnus’s shoulders and turning him away from the destruction.

Magnus took a hold of the hand that was draped over his shoulder, threading their fingers together. Ichor slid slickly against his skin from Alec’s hand, but Magnus didn’t mind, not when it meant that Alec had come out of the fight unscathed, and the demons hadn’t.

“Come along, my darling sex fiend,” Magnus said, squeezing his hand, “let’s go get you cleaned up. This shit is _not_ touching my sheets.”

And Alec laughed, loud and ringing and joyous.

Magnus could feel Alec’s eyes on him, could feel him watching carefully as Magnus puttered around the kitchen making a snack, starving as he always was after a severe magical depletion. Alec hadn’t even _showered_ yet, and was leaning on the kitchen island in his ichor-stained clothes. He was just watching Magnus.

“Am I purple or something?” Magnus asked.

“What?”

Magnus turned to him, leaning against the counter and taking a bite of his toast. “Your eyes are boring a hole in me, darling. And while normally I would love it, I sort of feel like a _patient_ instead of a _husband_.”

Alec pursed his lips. “I’m just worried about you. Magic depletion usually hits you pretty hard. I don’t want to miss something.”

“I understand.” Magnus took another bite of his toast. He really was ravenous. “But you really don’t have to worry. There’s nothing wrong with me that a good night’s sleep won’t fix.”

“Alright, how about this,” Alec said. “I’ll stop worrying if you promise to tell me the moment you feel something even _slightly_ unusual.”

“Deal.”

Alec still seemed unconvinced, even though he was the one who’d proposed this.

Magnus held up a hand, pinky out. “Pinky promise?”

Alec rolled his eyes, but softened and linked his pinky with Magnus’s. “Pinky promise.”

“Now, aren’t you going to go shower? I don’t fancy demon ichor as home décor.”

“Yeah, I was, uh. Waiting for you.” Alec pushed himself away from the counter. “Waiting to see if you wanted to join.”

“Oh! Well in that case…” Magnus grinned at him. “I better finish my toast.”

“This is unnecessarily complicated,” Alec complained as Magnus rubbed conditioner into his hair.

“It’s just— hold _still_ — it’s just _conditioner_ , Alexander.”

“Yeah, but then you’re gonna want to do the leave-in treatment, and the styling cream, and the _gel_ , and Angel knows what else.”

“No, we determined _mousse_ is better for your hair texture, darling.”

“I don’t know what that means.”

Magnus pouted up at him. “Don’t you want your hair to look nice? Don’t you want it to look nice for _me?_ Don’t you want it to be soft when I run my fingers through it? Don’t you want your husband to have nice things?”

“Interesting how this is about you,” Alec said, lips twitching. 

“Well, _you’re_ certainly not putting those curls to any good use.”

Magnus kept looking at him, giving him his best pleading expression, and Alec let out a long-suffering sigh, closing his eyes.

“That face is illegal,” he muttered.

Magnus beamed. “I knew you’d see it my way.”

He pulled Alec’s head down to rinse out his hair, which Alec took advantage of by leaning in to kiss him under the stream, water sluicing down their faces. When they’d been under the water just long enough that Magnus was starting to feel breathless, Alec pulled away and pressed another kiss under Magnus’s ear, murmuring into his skin, “This torment requires restitution.”

Magnus tilted his head to bare his neck. “And just how can I repay you, oh Shadowhunter?”

“You’re creative.” Alec looked at him, his gaze dark and considering. It sparked something hot in Magnus’s stomach, even through his exhaustion. “You’ll think of something.”

“I will indeed,” Magnus murmured, leaning in to press a hard kiss under Alec’s jaw, mouthing at the skin, pushing him back towards the wall.

Alec’s hands came up to brace him and hold him away before he could get any further, and Magnus whined. “Not in the shower,” Alec said, and smirked. “We’re both tired. I wouldn’t want you to fall and break a hip.”

Magnus huffed, planting his hands on his hips. “These old person jokes are getting real _old_ , Alexander. I’ll remind you, _pup_ , that though you may be eternally cradled in this youthful form, you too are what may be considered an _old man_ now. Do not mock the hip replacement, or you may find one in your future!”

Alec collapsed back against the wall, laughing, and Magnus swatted his chest. “No laughing at me! Where are the manners!”

“I’m sorry, Magnus. I know I shouldn’t disrespect my elders.”

Magnus gaped at him. The _audacity._ “You’ll pay. You _will_ pay.”

“M’kay.” Alec turned off the water, reaching out to snag a towel off the rack so he could bundle Magnus up in it, gently drying him off, then grabbed the other towel for himself.

“You missed your hair,” Magnus said, pointing, once Alec had toweled himself off. Alec’s hair was still sopping wet.

“Didn’t you tell me I’m not supposed to dry it with a towel? That it would mess it up?”

A slow smile spread across Magnus’s face. “So you _do_ listen to me!”

“I want my husband to have nice things, remember?” Alec said, and kissed him.

As they climbed into bed, Alec leaned in and kissed him again, slow and lingering. Magnus pushed him down onto the bed and straddled him, bending down to kiss him deeper.

“Aren’t you tired?” Alec teased, his nose bumping Magnus’s. He caressed Magnus’s cheek. “Don’t you want to go to sleep?”

“I’m finding myself miraculously restored,” Magnus said, pushing him deeper into the mattress, and Alec laughed.

“I’ll remember this strategy next time we’re in a tough battle.”

Magnus swatted his arm. Alec pulled him back down to his lips, flipping them so he could settle between Magnus’s legs, looking down at him.

“Alec,” Magnus gasped dramatically before Alec could kiss him again, tapping him on the arm. “Alec!”

“What?” Alec was looking at him with wide eyes. “What is it?”

Magnus gave him a cheeky grin. “I’m feeling something unusual.”

“Oh, _fuck you_.”

“Mmm, please do.”

Alec rolled his eyes. “Your health is _serious_ , Magnus.” He somehow managed to make it _feel_ serious, too, even situated between Magnus’s legs as he was.

“Alright, darling.” Magnus patted his cheek. “I’m sorry.”

“Somehow I don’t think you are.” Alec rolled off him to lie next to him on the bed, and, well, delaying sex for a _lecture_ hadn’t _really_ been Magnus’s intention—

“You have to take care of yourself,” Alec started, looking up at the ceiling. “And if you insist on not doing it, you have to at least let _me_ do it.”

Magnus couldn’t help his sigh. It was all fondness, though.

Alec turned to look at him, smiling softly. “Alright, fine, I’ll save the lecture for tomorrow.”

Magnus turned on his side to face him, tucking his hands under his cheek. “I seem to recall _me_ giving _you_ this lecture once upon a time.”

“Then you should heed your own words,” Alec said. He brushed Magnus’s hair out of his eyes. “I know it’s hard. It’s okay to need a reminder.”

“Well, thank you, Alexander.” Magnus smiled at him. “I’m glad I have you to look after me.”

“Always.”

Magnus leaned in close to kiss him.

“So, what do you say?” Alec asked when they broke apart, lips twitching up, and Magnus was gratified to see that playful light back in his eyes. “Will you let me take care of you?”

Magnus reached out to take his hand, pressing a lingering kiss to his knuckles. “I would love that.”

Magnus woke with a start, and his first bleary thought was, _it can’t be morning already._

Before he realized it was just the bathroom light falling across his eyes from where the door was cracked open. And the bed next to him was empty, so Alec must have stepped out.

Magnus pushed himself upright with a yawn. He still felt dead tired from the magic depletion, but he’d rather go back to sleep _with_ Alec than without him.

“Darling,” he called out, voice soft, “this bed is awfully lonely without you.”

He expected Alec to quip back at him fondly—“Quit harassing me while I’m in the bathroom,” “Go back to sleep, I’ll be in in a minute.”

But there was nothing.

“Alec?”

Silence.

Magnus slid out of bed, unease curling in his stomach. He crept over to the bathroom door, knocking then slowly pushing it open, not wanting to burst in on Alec if he was just being paranoid.

What he saw knocked the breath from his lungs.

“Alexander!” He ran forward and collapsed to his knees beside Alec, who was sprawled out on the floor, eyes closed, unmoving. “Darling?”

No response. Magnus hovered useless hands over him, breath coming quick, thoughts spiraling. What had _happened?_ He’d been fine when they went to bed—hadn’t he been fine? Or had Magnus not noticed something? Had Alec been hiding something from him so he could focus on Magnus?

Magnus touched his back gently, letting out a relieved breath when he realized he could feel his chest rising and falling. But he couldn’t— he couldn’t _help_ him without his magic, not when whatever was wrong was certainly magical in origin—

He choked out a sob. How could he have— how could he have used all his magic closing the rift when he needed it for _Alec?_

“Wake up for me, please, Alexander,” Magnus whispered, caressing Alec’s hair, searching for a head injury and soothing himself in the same motion. Tears had started running down his cheeks, and he could feel his slim grasp on his composure rapidly shattering. His breathing stuttered on a sob. “ _Please_.”

Alec stayed still.

Magnus needed help.

He tore himself away from Alec to sprint across the bedroom and grab his phone from the nightstand, cursing the fact that Cat was away in the Spiral Labyrinth and uncontactable. He slid to his knees beside Alec and dialed another number, hands shaking, tears coming faster now.

He couldn’t lose Alec. He _couldn’t._

“If your damn cat’s stuck in a tree again, I told you, just call the fire department—”

“Ragnor!” Magnus gasped, the word stumbled out through his sobs. “Please, help!”

There was a clatter as Ragnor lurched to his feet.

“Magnus? What’s wrong?” A pause. “What _time_ is it over there?”

“It’s Alexander, I’m all out of magic, please—” Magnus pleaded, pressing his free hand to his husband’s pulse just to make sure it stayed beating “—please—”

The _thwoom_ of an opening portal echoed through the phone, then he could hear the static crackle of magic in his living room. “Magnus? Where are you?”

“In here!” Magnus dropped the phone and returned both hands to Alec’s body, trying to feel for something, _anything_ that could be wrong, that he could fix.

Alec was so still under his hands. Still, and quiet, and Magnus couldn’t breathe.

Ragnor careened into the room, took one look at Alec and crouched down beside him, hands already outstretched to scan him with his magic. He had always been steady in a crisis. “What happened?”

“I— I found him like this,” Magnus said, starting to hyperventilate. “I don’t know how long— how long he was here, or what happened— he was fine earlier, used an _iratze_ —”

“You fought demons?” Ragnor interrupted. “Was he injured?”

“Yes, minorly, but he—”

“There are demonic injuries that can slip past the _iratze_ ,” Ragnor said calmly.

Magnus knew this. Of course, he knew this, any time when he wasn’t kneeling on the bathroom floor with his husband’s unconscious body in his hands. Now, he didn’t feel like he knew anything.

Ragnor dug deeper with his magic, and Magnus expected Alec to twitch at the sensation, but he didn’t, just remained still, which was somehow worse.

“It’s a ruptured aneurysm,” Ragnor said.

“Don’t you have to _have_ an aneurysm in the first place for one to rupture?!” Magnus yelled. Warlocks didn’t get _aneurysms._ Shadowhunters who were magically bound to warlocks didn’t get _aneurysms._

“Not when you’re dealing with demons,” Ragnor snapped. “Now hush, calm down, and help me.”

This, Magnus thought semi-hysterically, was why _Cat_ was the one with the medical specialty. Ragnor would probably end up hurling his patients across the room.

“You can fix it?” he asked, hands clenched in Alec’s hair.

“Probably.”

_"_ _Probably!?”_

“Shut up and give me your hand.”

Magnus took Ragnor’s hand and Ragnor started tugging energy from him to steady his own stream of magic. He leaned over Alec, pressed one hand to his forehead as the other danced above him in elegant swoops, magic trickling from his fingertips. His eyes fell shut.

Magnus watched him, barely breathing. He hated not knowing what was going on, not being able to help, but he didn’t dare interrupt to ask for updates. He took Alec’s hand in his own and squeezed.

Ragnor’s brow furrowed. “Damn.”

“What?” Magnus demanded. _“What?”_

“The demonic magic is fighting me.”

“Then take more energy from me.”

“I don’t want to put you at risk—”

_“Take it_ , Ragnor!”

Ragnor sighed, but pulled harder on Magnus’s energy, pushing it into Alec. Magnus swayed and had to brace himself on the floor.

Ragnor glanced at him, concerned, but didn’t stop his work. Magnus closed his eyes, feeling lightheaded, and tightened his grip on Alec’s hand.

The draw on his energy vanished abruptly, and he fell forward over Alec.

“Ragnor?”

Ragnor was panting for breath. When Magnus managed to look up at him, he could see the sweat beading along his brow.

“It’s finished,” he said.

“He’ll be alright?”

Ragnor nodded. Magnus could kiss him, but he didn’t think he could get up off the floor. Ragnor wouldn’t like it anyway.

Ragnor stood on shaky legs. “Come on, up you get. It’s no good for either of you to lie on the floor like that.”

Magnus thought the floor felt pretty comfortable at the moment, but he allowed Ragnor to pull him to his feet anyway.

They managed to get their hands under Alec and lift him. Ragnor stumbled under the weight, and Magnus nearly fell back to the floor.

“You had to marry a tree, didn’t you?” Ragnor grumbled as they carried Alec’s limp form out to the bedroom.

Normally, Magnus could carry Alec without too much difficulty, but drained of energy he was struggling as much as Ragnor was.

“Sorry to make your life difficult,” Magnus huffed as they managed to get Alec onto the bed.

Ragnor waved this away. “I’m used to it.”

Magnus looked at Alec, sprawled out on top of the sheets. He was so _still_ , even now. Knowing he would be alright didn’t make Magnus feel that much better, looking at him.

“You should get some rest,” Ragnor said. “You look like you’re about to keel over.”

Magnus shook his head. “I need to make sure he’s alright.”

“He will be. Just give it a bit of time.”

“Okay.” Magnus climbed into bed and sat cross-legged by Alec’s head, lifting it to rest gently in his lap.

“I meant— you know what, never mind. I’ll be in the guest room if you need me.”

“Thank you, Ragnor,” Magnus said, and meant it. He owed him—everything.

Ragnor patted his hand. “Anytime, my friend.”

Sleep had almost come to claim Magnus when Alec finally woke.

He was running his fingers through Alec’s hair, the repetitive motion soothing him, filling his need to have his hands on his husband. But the anxiety wouldn’t truly leave until he saw Alec awake.

Magnus pushed Alec’s hair away from his forehead again, even though he knew it would just flop back into his eyes.

“I thought you were going to tell me if something was wrong, darling,” he said softly. “Isn’t that what we agreed on?”

“…was… _your_ side…of the bargain,” Alec murmured, eyes still closed.

“Alexander?” Magnus leaned over him, hands hovering. He held his breath. “Are you with me, darling?”

Alec’s brow scrunched up. _“Magnus.”_

“Yes, my love. I’m here.” Magnus dropped his hands to Alec’s hair again, running through the strands gently.

Alec whimpered. His head must have really been hurting him. When he spoke, his voice was slurred. “What’s—going on?”

“You had a head injury,” Magnus said. Alec started to shift in his lap, as if to get up, and Magnus pressed a hand to his chest to hold him down. “No, stay still. Don’t move. It’s alright.”

“Felt fine earlier,” Alec said hazily. “And— _iratze_.”

“Yes, well, it turns out these demons were rather sneaky. But don’t worry, it’s all taken care of. Now you just need to rest.”

Finally, _finally_ Alec’s eyes blinked open, looking blearily up at Magnus. He reached a trembling hand up to touch Magnus’s face, landing somewhere around his lips. “I’m sorry.”

“Whatever for?”

“Scaring you.”

Magnus took a hold of his hand, kissing his knuckles. “It’s alright, darling. You’re alright.”

Alec’s eyes closed again and he pressed his face into Magnus’s thigh. “You… okay? Your magic?”

Magnus laughed wetly, clutching at Alec’s hand. “I thought we agreed no worrying, Alexander. You promised.”

“Lied.”

Magnus gasped. “You violated the sanctity of the pinky promise? How could you?”

He could feel Alec’s smile against his leg. “It was for a good cause.”

Magnus petted his hair, hands trembling. “Oh, my Alexander. My sweet Alexander.”

Alec tugged at his hand. “Come down here?”

Magnus carefully extracted himself and laid down on the bed next to Alec, pulling the blanket up over them. Alec tucked his face in against Magnus’s shirt.

“Does your head still hurt?” Magnus asked, and Alec nodded. Magnus didn’t have the magic to do anything about that, but he kept running his fingers through Alec’s hair in the hopes it would be soothing.

Alec sighed. “That’s… nice.”

Magnus kept doing it, letting out a breath that shuddered through his whole body. “Oh my darling. You must have been so scared.”

“When?”

“When you— when you fell.” Magnus very much did not want to think about Alec collapsing in the bathroom, but he was thinking about it anyway.

“I don’t know, I don’t… really remember,” Alec said, a note of tired confusion in his voice. “I guess I… woke up. My head hurt. A _lot._ I don’t think I was really… thinking clearly. I went to get some water, I think? But the light, it just— _hurt_. And then I woke up here.”

If Alec didn’t remember this frightening experience, then Magnus was grateful. Magnus certainly had it seared permanently into his brain.

“I’m sorry I scared you,” Alec said.

He had apologized for this already, and Magnus no more accepted it now than he had the first time. “Please don’t apologize. _I’m_ sorry that I wasn’t more thorough in making sure you were okay after the battle. I don’t— don’t know how I missed this.” His voice broke.

Alec gingerly scooted up the bed so he could take Magnus’s face between his hands. “I was fine then,” he said, earnest. “There was nothing you could have done.”

It was so good to look into his eyes again, even if they still looked a little unfocused. “You were so worried about me,” Magnus said quietly. “I can’t help but feel _I_ should have been fussing over _you_.”

“You _do_ fuss over me. You’re doing it right now.”

“I should have been doing it when it _counted_ ,” Magnus insisted.

“It counts now. It always counts. Besides, you’re always looking after me.” A crease was starting to form between Alec’s eyebrows, but Magnus couldn’t tell if it was from the intensity of the emotion he was experiencing, or if his head was starting to pain him more.

He smoothed the line out with his thumb. “Darling, please rest. We can talk about it more tomorrow.”

Alec sighed, but he obediently closed his eyes, ducking down to tuck his head under Magnus’s chin. His hair tickled Magnus’s throat. “Please don’t blame yourself.”

“No promises.”

“Yes promises,” Alec insisted. “Pinky promises.”

“Strong words from the man who already broke the pinky promise once.”

“Details.” Alec reached up to take Magnus’s hand, pulling it towards his mouth. He kissed it, then held it close to his face, Magnus’s knuckles pressed to his cheek. “How about this: if you promise not to blame yourself, tomorrow I’ll let you do a mask on my hair.”

Magnus mock-gasped, gratified when Alec’s lips curled up into a smile. “I never thought I’d see the day! _Willingly_ submitting to my machinations?”

“I willingly submit to your machinations all the time,” Alec said, still smiling. “So, do you accept the deal?”

“If it will make you feel better, darling, then yes. I accept.”

“Good.” He was tiring, his lips moving sluggishly against Magnus’s hand that he still had clasped to his face. Magnus clutched him to his chest, wrapping his free arm around him, trying to remind himself that everything had worked out okay.

“It’s okay,” Alec said, still subdued by his injury but alive, and here. He kissed Magnus’s hand. “It’s okay now. I promise.”

**Author's Note:**

> me looking at my 3 of 31 completed whumptober prompts: a smashing success if I do say so
> 
> come find me on [tumblr](https://cuubism.tumblr.com) if you wanna hear about proper curly hair care or whatever (use hair masks! do not use a towel!)


End file.
